Pecan Rice

by Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade RushingSouthern ComfortMiLa, New Orleans

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 cup long-grain rice

2 tablespoons finely diced shallots

1 tablespoon finely diced carrot

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts

Preparation

Place a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add the olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add the pecans and toast, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the nuts are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and toast for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the shallots, carrot, salt, and pepper.

Cook the rice and the vegetables for an additional 3 minutes. Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for another 10 minutes.

Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing burst onto the culinary scene in 2003 as chefs of Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar, which the New York Times called "one of the most distinctive new restaurants to come along in years" and earned Allison the 2004 James Beard Rising Star award. In 2005, the couple returned to Louisiana to open Longbranch followed by MiLa in New Orleans in 2007.